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| New
Year |
The Hindu New Year commences
with the first day of the bright fortnight
of the month of Kartika. This day is considered
an auspicious occasion and has a historical
significance as well. It commemorates the
victory of the great King Vikramaditya after
whom the Hindu calendar is named. Our great
ancestors have considered it a dawn of a new
era from where the days, months, and years
have been marked as "Vikram Samvant".
Today over 2000 years later we still celebrate
the day with great joy and happiness.
To welcome this day, preparations are begun
a couple of months in advance - houses and
surroundings are tidied up, redecorated, women-folk
busy themselves in the preparation of a variety
of delicacies, shopping activities of women,
men and children appear to be increasing with
purchases of new clothes, toys, sweets and
gifts for one another. Thus the town seems
to be vitalised with activities: shopkeepers
and businesses flourish and everywhere joy
and gaiety are seen to abound. On New Year's
eve, people decorate the entrance of their
houses with colourful designs called "Rangoli",
flowers, buntings, etc. On New Year's Day
everybody wakes up early, gets ready and dresses
up in his/her best, respectfully greets elders
and seeks their blessings and then sets off
to visit relations and friends to exchange
gifts and best wishes to auger New Year. In
the larger cities people gather at community
social centres to meet and convey to each
other New Year's greetings and dine together
or exchange sweets. Thus the atmosphere is
jovial and gay in anticipation of year of
happiness and prosperity.
There are a couple of mythological stories
associated with this day. When our social
order classification based on vocations came
under jeopardy with interference of King Bali,
he was destroyed by Lord Vishnu in his incarnation
as Vaman Avtar. Though King Bali was a bad
man he was a charitable person and could see
virtues even in a bad person. Thus this story
encourages us to develop the quality of seeing
good qualities even in a most wicked person.
In the Vaishnav Temple people worship Mount
Govardhan and present a display of various
delicacies at the altar as "Annakutt".
In Vrindavan Gops and Gopis were preparing
to offer sacrificial worship to Indra for
invoking his blessing for rain but Krishna
stopped them and explained that rains were
not due to Indra so they stopped the sacrificial
worship to Indra.
Indra was very annoyed at this and started
a heavy downpour to flood and sink Gokul.
Krishna raised and held Mount Govardhana on
his small finger and sheltered the Gops and
Gopis and their livestock, cows and other
animals and birds for seven days. At last
Indra accepted his defeat and apologised to
Krishna. From this day the worship of Govardhana
was introduced and on this day "Annakut"
is offered to the Deity in the temples. The
prasad of Annakut is then distributed amongst
the devotees.
The real celebration and significance of this
day will only be realised when we purify ourselves
by lighting the lamp of knowledge and driving
away the darkness of ignorance. |
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